Remember the "Cannibal Cop"? That was the New York City police officer who was convicted of charges stemming from his nasty little habit of plotting online to kidnap, cook, and eat women. Officer Gilberto Valle faced life in prison after he was found guilty of kidnapping conspiracy charges in connection with his plot to kidnap women, roast them alive, and eat them. Well, a judge has decided he was just kidding. So he overturned his conviction.

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Valle had been convicted in March 2013 but hadn't been sentenced yet. In that time, a judge reportedly decided that there wasn't enough evidence in Valle's online ramblings to prove that he really planned on going through with his plots.

Yeah, never mind that he illegally used an FBI database to gather personal information on at least one of the women he was tracking. Never mind that he searched the Internet for how to knock someone out with chloroform and where to buy torture devices.

Never mind that he actually went so far as to personally meet up with one of the women, whom he knew from college. Never mind all that. It was all a joke! Hahah. Laughing yet?

Granted, the judge, Paul G. Gardephe, has seen more evidence than I have, so hopefully he's right. I've always had the sense that Valle's fantasy life had gotten away from him, and it was impossible to really tell 100 percent if he meant what he was saying online; however, conspiracy charges are meant to catch people who are plotting a crime and haven't carried it out yet. Overturning this charge could open up a big can of worms wherein defendants are able to say, "But ... but ... I wasn't really going to do it!"

However, the judge believes there was no evidence of real intent, and given that he sifted through all of the evidence, there must be a basis for that -- though I guess the jury missed it. In an 118-page opinion, he wrote:

The evidentiary record is such that it is more likely than not the case that all of Valle’s Internet communications about kidnapping are fantasy role-play.

At least this whack job was fired from his job as a cop, and his other major charge -- accessing a government database illegally -- will stand. He faces up to a year in prison for that.

But it's not exactly comforting to know this guy who just loves to chatter about cooking women will be on the streets soon, is it?

Valle even lost his wife and child over this. His wife, who is the one who discovered his plots to cook women and who fled from their home with their young child, must be totally traumatized. Were your ramblings about inflicting pain and terror on women worth it, Valle? Why not spend your time bettering the world instead of descending into a seething morass of twisted, bile-spewing hate and anger?

Unfortunately, this sends the signal to the misogynistic masses who gather online to discuss the slaughtering of women (and apparently there are many of them) that what they're doing is just fine.

You have to wonder if a bunch of people online plotting to blow up the White House would get the same "oh, it's just a fantasy" response from a judge. Doubtful!